Autumn.....

I am a little awed by the fact that, almost without me noticing, it is October.
I am not entirely sure how it happened - for not long ago (it feels!) it was August.
Time has a funny way of catching up on us and sometimes we need to take some time to store up those memories or the year will have passed us by.

I have always loved the autumn - its colour, its smell, its taste and the myriad of other things which fill our senses: smoke rising from piles of leaves - gold, red, russet, yellow, brown, ochre; the swish and crunch as we walk through them; the hours spent raking them up only to discover more falling to the ground behind you!! There is a sense of storing up; of setting things right; of tidying away and preparing for the sudden drop in temperature which will hail the start of winter.

Those wondrous days when the sun shines and we can enjoy a misty morning and a walk in the still warm air: autumn the season of bedding down.
It's the time for reflecting and planning too:
What worked well this year?
What new things will next year bring?
How will we end this year?
How best to prepare for the season to come - Winter and Christmas... ahh Christmas!! So many good things to look forward to: log fires and families gathering - the joy of the anticipation lifts the spirits and reminds us, as we know, that life can be predictable and new all at the same time.
The calendar has a comforting cycle which creates a certain security.

October comes: the leaves fall heralding that the cycle continues and all is good
We need a certain amount of stability in these uncertain and difficult days: the world is suffering, debts spiral out of control, but the seasons continue and God blesses us in ways we cannot begin to imagine... Autumn, the season of mellow fruitfulness and giving thanks: Praise God for the Harvest!!